


Stargazer

by Chirocco



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
Genre: Cybertronian culture, Headcanon, Multi, Origin Story, Seeker culture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-08-09 13:51:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16451183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chirocco/pseuds/Chirocco
Summary: Everybody is the hero in their own story, or they become the villain.Every revolution starts with a dream, but can turn into a nightmare so easily.Every story has a beginning, and this one begins right at the center of the planet Cybertron in the forge of Primus, where a still nameless seeker is being created.Or: My take on an origin story for Starscream.(Tags, Characters and Parings might be added as I progress in writing this story)





	1. Protoform

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sternenschrei](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/428510) by Chirocco. 



> Hello everyone,  
> this is my first English story and my first story on AO3, so I hope you'll enjoy it. It's a translation of a story I'm currently writing for a German fanfiction archive. As I'm not a native speaker, I hope I didn't make too many mistakes in my translations.

Warmth was the first sensation of protoform, which had been formed of various metals and semi-metals using magnetic fields and nanoforms. Materials liquefied by an invisible yet palpable power and then assembled into the being that now lay on the ground. As the body had slowly cooled and hardened, inside of it nanoforms were creating intricate bio mechanics molecule-by-molecule: conduit systems, energy storage and distribution, servomotors, energy converters, a rudimentary sensor network, a simple data processing system, and an empty spark chamber. Each system was equipped with a small energy storage device that could keep it alive, until either the energy converters took over or the storage was exhausted. Later, the energy stores would serve as an emergency system in case the converters temporarily failed.  
The shape of the protoform was still abstract and featureless. A string of simple gray shapes connected by silvery ball joints and made of materials that were still relatively soft and flexible even when cured, leaving its body barely able to protect its fragile inner workings. Also, the protoform still had no spark. A fact that left it with a sheer inexhaustible variety of possibilities. Which part of himself would its creator choose for it? Which one of those countless possibilities would become real?  
A new sensation was added to the comforting warmth, the invisible power inherent in the cave, and the first questions that had passed through the newly awakened mind of the protoform: hunger. With careful movements, its seeking fingers fumbled around until they dipped into a warm liquid. A slow and gentle stream that emitted a very alluring kind of energy. The protoform’s basic protocols told it that it had found what it was looking for, that this liquid would satisfy its hunger. So it knelt at the edge of the stream. For this, its basic protocols had shown it how to move its body, which proved to be an exciting new sensation. For the first time in its short existence it became aware of what it felt like to have a body: Arms, legs, torso, feet, hands, neck, and head. And in each of these parts it could feel something. The dry warmth of the surrounding air, the gentle breeze brushing over its back, the smooth surface of the metallic floor it was kneeling on, the warm, silky fluid that flowed around its fingers and the magnetic field lines that swept over its body like the clockwork of a mystical machine, ancient as time itself.  
The protoform placed its hands in the liquid and then brought them together to draw some of it. Its basic protocols had told it how to do it. The same protocols also told it that this liquid, the Energon, was what provided the planet with energy and kept it alive. It was the lifeblood of its creator Primus and soon it would become its own lifeblood as well. Soon the Energon would be what provided the protoform with energy and kept it alive, too.  
The Energon turned out to be very tasty and so the protoform was eager to drink more of it. Its basic protocols told it that it needed a lot of the provided energy for what would follow.  
Almost imperceptibly at first, the silence that had hitherto surrounded the protoform made way for a mix of sounds that started to fill the surrounding air. A calming, steady, low-frequency buzzing, the murmur of the liquid that flowed past the protoform, the pulsing of immeasurable energy, and the gentle sound produced by the drops of liquid energy that ran from its hands. The protoform listened intently and tracked each sound, swaying its head slightly from side to side to allow its audio sensors to register every last little detail.  
With a short flicker the optical sensor bar activated itself and so, for the first time in its short existence, the protoform could perceive its environment with all its senses at the same time. Fascinated, it studied its gray hands, which still contained the remnants of the blue, fluorescent liquid called Energon. The bulk of it had already passed between the protoform’s fingers and had fallen back into the broad but shallow river. It finished the remainder of Energon left in its hands, then stood up and let its eyes wander through the gigantic cave where it had been created. The sight was overwhelming. It was inside a gigantic dome. The inside of which was dotted with impressive fractal structures streaked by fluorescent veins, pulsing their bluish white light into the room, that seemed to be growing straight out of the walls. A skeletal metal structure supported the dome, while walls and floor consisted of a multitude of different metals and semi-metals that had been melted and solidified for countless times.  
The protoform now discovered that it was not alone in this cave. On the opposite side of the shallow stream of Energon, it spotted another one, which, like itself just a moment ago, was eager to drink from the blue liquid. The other's optical sensor bar was still dark and inactive. It was still blind, but that would change soon. The protoform made a quick optical scan of the other protoform. Was this how it looked like, too? It looked down at itself and came to realize that it seemed to be like that. The protoform let its optics wander further into the cave until they discovered red-hot metal slowly forming into a body. Had its body been created in the same way?  
The protoform’s gaze followed wide rivers and narrow trickles of glowing blue liquid that emerged from openings in the walls and made their way to the circular abyss in the center of the dome, where it plunged to the surface of a silver, metallic sphere floating in the center of the abyss. The sheer immense size of the gigantic silver sphere made everything else inside the dome look tiny. A pulsing light emanated from it and made the dancing metal dust-particles glitter and bathed the entire cave in a soft blue glimmer. Luminescent cables traversed the distance between dome and sphere, and a complicated network of pipes and cabling connected it to the walls of the cave.  
The sphere was the source of everything. The magnetic fields, the heat, the energy, the Energon and life itself. The core, the heart and the soul of a living planet. Primus.  
Guided by an invisible hand, the protoform got as close as possible to the sphere, until it stood at the edge of the abyss. Only a short while later it felt magnetic fields settle around its body and then its feet left the ground. The protoform was not afraid. Its basic protocols told it that everything was perfectly alright. And even if it had not been for that, the primitive consciousness of the protoform did't know the concept of danger yet and was still incapable of such complex feelings such as fear.  
Moments later, the protoform hovered high above the ground in front of a circular, brightly-lit opening in the surface of the giant sphere. The diameter of the opening exceeded its own height many times over.  
It felt how the metal of its body was heating up and becoming malleable again. Electric discharges then began to jolt the magnetic field lines that were holding it above the ground, while its nanoforms began to form the precursors of armor, that would protect the delicate inner bio mechanics as well the energy, air and fuel lines from damage, covering its arms, legs, torso and head. Then a glistering electric arc closed between the light inside the sphere and the body of the protoform. For a moment, energy and light filled the protoform’s entire being, while its armor now began to fully form and its entire body started to change into the beeing Primus has choosen to create. Large, nearly triangular wings and long tailplanes grew out of its back, its fingers turned into strong claws while its feet took on a shape that would enable them to easily absorb the kinetic energy of a hard landing. In the center of the breastplate came the armored cockpit of a fighter jet into being — the legacy of a dark age, far in the half-forgotten past of Cybertron. A time that was also responsible, for Primus no longer being able to name his new creations in any other way but giving them an alphanumeric serial code.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter.  
> Reviews and Comments are always appreciated.  
> Best wishes, Chirocco


	2. Newspark

The light and the energy were gone. No, not gone, noted the young newspark as he rose on shaky legs from the ground where the magnetic fields had placed him. Light and energy had gathered in his spark chamber. Carefully, as if he was worried he could damage something, he put his hand over the golden yellow glass in the middle of his shiny gray breastplate. Not even a hand's length under his claws, he felt the energy of everything that made him alive pulsing in a regular rhythm. Right there inside his spark chamber he could feel everything that made him who he was. His spark. His soul.  
He looked down at himself only to find that his remaining armor was in the same shiny gray as his chest. The only exceptions were the black claws, the golden yellow glass of his armored cockpit, and the red biolights on the insides of his elbows, as well as on the front of his hip armor.   
On closer inspection, he could see that the sheen of his plating came from a thin, colorless layer that seemed to cover all of his armor. That was disappointing. He did not like the gray. It was stupid and boring. The surrounding metals shimmered and sparkled in such beautiful colors, so why did his body need to be such a boring one?  
However, the disappointment over the color of his armor was quickly forgotten as he realized how exhausted he really was. An almost infinite tiredness had begun to spread inside him. Added to this was the extremely uncomfortable feeling of being on the verge of starvation. The process that had made him what he was now, who he was now seemed to have great deal his body's energy reserves. It seemed like a miracle to him now, that he'd even been able to get up in the first place.  
At the edge of the nearest stream of energon, he dropped to his knees and dipped his hands greedily into the life-giving fluid. When he looked up for a moment, he spotted the drinking protoform that he had seen before. It looked up for a moment but did not seem to care much about its surroundings or even him. Vaguely, he remembered that he had been such a creature shortly before, too. But the memories of that time were beginning to fade, until they were only a distant notion on the edge of his consciousness, like a half-forgotten dream.  
After absorbing enough energon to ward off the nagging hunger that seemed to ravage his fuel tanks, he was overcome with fatigue. He just barely managed to get his body into a comfortable, lying position before it automatically went into power down mode.  
This first resting period in the life of the young newspark should also be his longest, only interrupted by brief moments in which he just came around far enough so that he was able to replenish his energon reserves. Unlike his mind, however, his body barely came to rest during that time. Nanoforms complemented missing biomechanics, created new cabling and connections, adapted the rudimentary systems of the former Protoform to the demands of the new body and reconfigured them accordingly. The templates and blueprints for this were stored in the form of CNA in the data cores of the molecular machines, to which they had been transferred at the beginning of the metamorphosis by means of modulated energy impulses.  
After that some biomechanics, which until then had been inactive, came to life, whereupon a lengthy initial synchronization and calibration process began, laying the foundation for future interworking of his physical components, main processors, data processing systems, basic programs, and his Spark itself.

When he awoke, his mind was greeted by an indescribable amount of new sensory impressions. For a moment he felt overwhelmed by the sheer flood of information. But then, after a brief moment, the flood of data calmed down to a steady flow that provided him with such a profound picture of his surroundings, that it almost seemed to him that only now he was able to truly perceive the world around him for the first time in his life.  
He slowly turned around himself, optics wide open and and mouth agape with astonishment and fascination, as he tried to concentrate on each of his dozens of senses, trying to absorb every last little detail. All the sounds, that were so much clearer now than they had been before and whose direction he could now easily determine. He did't know where to concentrate first, out of fear he might be missing something else. There was a low-frequency humming that came from the luminescent cables that cut through the cave. The ripple and murmuring of the energon streams around him. The faint rumbling and creaking of metal that now and then erupted from the walls of the dome and, of course, the pulsing of immeasurable energy emanating from the sphere in the center of the dome.  
Again his gaze got stuck on the gigantic silver sphere as he took in all its details, all the lights that reflected and glittered in the intricate patterns, fractals and engravings. It was almost impossible for him to avert his gaze from this marvel, and while he was still trying to absorb all the fantastic details he realized deep inside his mind that this was probably the most impressive and beautiful thing he had ever seen in his short life. At the same time he also knew deep down that it was probably the most beautiful and impressive thing he would ever to be seeing in his entire life, that nothing else in the universe could ever be that awe-inspiring.  
Eventually, he succeeded in adverting his sensors from his god and creator Primus and began a detailed scan of the rest of the dome surrounding him. This dome was his entire world, his universe, and he did not want to miss anything. Each and every little thing his sensors fell upon was an exciting new discovery that made his spark glow with elation. His joyfully uplifted wings twitching and fluttering with excitement. But even as he absorbed and processed all the new information, he began to wonder if there was more. If there was a world, a universe outside this cave, this dome. After all, the energon had to come from somewhere, did it not? He began to wonder what this world outside this one would look like and if there would be others like him.  
In a more remote part of the dome set in the far cave wall he could make out a narrow passage. Previously, this had been obscured to him by shadows and the sheer distance, but now he could see it clearly. The optics of the being into which Primus had made him were evidently very good at being able to make out hidden things even at a great distance.  
On his way to the passage he hopped from raise to raise and from ledge to ledge — not because it was necessary, but because it was in a funny game. A game that time and again elicited a high-pitched, twittering sound and made his raised wings flutter when he mastered a particularly daring leap and happiness, pride and joy flooded his entire being. As he crossed the cave, he looked around for the other two protoforms, or the beings that Primus might have made them into. He could not find them anywhere. Too bad, he thought, the game, he was sure, would have been even funnier when played together. He wondered what might have become of them.

In front of the young newspark now lay the passage he had previously spotted. From up close, it was more of a gap. Admittedly, a big gap made for letting beings pass that were much bigger than himself, but nevertheless a gap. Behind the gap lay a dark corridor, the end of which was marked only by a small, flickering light that faintly glowed there. He did not like this corridor, it looked threatening.  
At least, he saw his theory, that there was another world, another universe, behind the walls of the dome, confirmed. That made him proud. After all, he had come to this conclusion all on his own. However, he had to admit that now that he was standing here in front of the gap and looking out into this other world, this other universe, he did not really know what he should make of it.  
A gentle breeze blew out of the corridor and past him. But this time it was more than just a brief sensation on the surface of his body, as it was when he had been just a protoform. This time it was almost as if the breeze was talking to him. Involuntarily, his wings and tailplanes rose on his back and almost self-aligned with the draft to direct as much of the moving air over their surfaces as possible. Briefly, the young newspark closed his optics and enjoyed the sensation, while being told that there was another world out there, and that, if newspark decided to leave the dome to find it, the draft would show him the way.  
Meanwhile, the chemical sensors integrated into his facial ventilation system registered a multitude of unknown odors. Some pleasant and welcoming others rather uncomfortable and disturbing. There, behind the corridor, he knew with absolute certainty now, there was a vast world full of new wonders to discover. And wasn’t that his task, the purpose for which he was created, to discover new things? In his deepest spark he knew that the answer to it was ’yes’. He knew that during his lifetime, he gained experience and added it in the form of memories to his Spark, which thereby would be changing and evolving. Then, when his life ended and his Spark returned to the AllSpark, to Primus, his essence would be added to the very being of his creator making his spark, the AllSpark change and evolve as well. This way his memories and soul, along with the ones of all those being blessed with a spark, would eventually live forever.  
The young newspark made a decision. He would not disappoint Primus. On the contrary, he would fill his God and Creator with pride by becoming the best and greatest discoverer in the whole world, no, in the whole universe. Following this purpose and his curiosity, he wanted to get going, but before he had even taken the first step, he paused. Another realization had made its way into his consciousness. This new world out there would also contain dangers. He didn’t know what dangers were exactly, but he knew they were something his baseline protocols warned him about and so it seemed to be a rather reasonable idea to be afraid of them.  
He looked back into the safe dome. Here, under the protection of Primus, there was no danger, that much was clear. There was enough energon, too. Out there the unknown awaited him, with all its dangers and all its uncertainties. So, all things considered, was it not better to stay here? Unfortunately, as he had to realize, even now there was hardly anything new to discover here in the dome, and he had not sworn to become the greatest discoverer the universe had ever seen? His optics moved back towards the gap and, as if to encourage him, he could feel one of the magnetic field lines traversing the cave gently brushed across his armor.  
He looked down at himself and for the first time the young newspark really became aware of his own body. It seemed to be quite robust and was protected by an angular armor plates whose formerly gray surface now graced gaudy and shiny colors. Forearm, hand and foot armor were held in a strong blue, hip, knee and most of his chest and back armor was a bright red. In the middle of the chest armor there was a blue elevation, which held his still golden yellow cockpit. The armor of the lower leg had remained gray. Just like the flexible material that covered the right and left sides of his waist, protecting the biomechanics and wires lying beneath without restricting his mobility. His rather bulky shoulder armor showed three colors: gray above and blue below, separated by a red stripe in the upper third. His large wings, as well as his tailplanes, which he noticed both housed much of his newly acquired sensors, were also tricolor. Gray inner surface with blue border and an additional red line at the lower edge. The rest of his body, except for his black claws, was white, at least as far as he could see. He did’t know why he'd been given these colors nor why they were arranged like this or if they meant anything, but what he did know was that he liked them. They were definitively much better than that dumb and boring gray from before. And just maybe this was all the reason why he'd been given these colors.  
He took a closer look, this time noticing that it wasn’t the color of his armor that had changed, but that of the thin glossy layer it was covered with and which was, according to his language protocols, called finish.  
The young newspark again fixed his gaze on the gap. His armor would protect him from the dangers that might lurk out there. At least that was what his baseline protocols, that ominous something inside of him that's been saying and showing him things all the time, had told him. So far the baseline protocols had always been right, so they would probably be right this time, too, he decided. The baseline protocols had also told him that the wings and tailplanes on his back were very important and that therefore he had to take good care of them. The latter, of course, was very plausible, because they contained a large part of the sensors needed for perceiving and exploring the world around him.  
One last time the young newspark collected all his courage and curiosity, then he took a determined step right into the gap. A first step into a new world full of new wonders and experiences, impressions and adventures. A first step into an uncertain future, of which only time would be able to tell what kind of life it would hold for him.


	3. Labyrith

He followed the crevice until he reached the flickering light source he had previously seen and had thought of as the end of the tunnel. But now it had turned out that his path had only led him to another cave, tiny compared to the one he had been created in, yet still large enough to accommodate much larger beings than him. There were more tunnels around leading away from the cave. They had the form of cracks and crevices that ran through the mixture of metal and ore that surrounded him from all sides. It was kind of disappointing. After what he had smelled and what the draft had told him, he somehow had expected something more from the world beyond the dome.  
But before he could decide what he should do now, the light above him gave a flicker, then it went out completely and left him in an almost perfect darkness, pushed back only by the faint light emanating from the crevice leading to the dome and the red glow emanating from its biolights. Biolights, yes, that was how his basic protocols called the luminescent elements of his armor, of which he obviously had to have some at his head and the sides of his shoulder armor, too. He clung to those thoughts, hoping the light would return. He didn't want to think about the darkness. The darkness and the comparatively cramped conditions of the small cave did not please him. They scared him. He heard the soft rumbling of the surrounding walls, and in his mind the cavern walls moved closer and closer with each sound. Closer and closer and closer, until at some point he wouldn't be able to move at all anymore, just before he would be crushed...  
He was pretty sure that he didn't belong in such a place. He didn't know what kind of place he belonged to, but it certainly had to be a quite different from this one. In an involuntary gesture he had lowered his wings and tailplanes, as far as his physique allowed, and had folded them close behind his back. His eyes wandered back to the dome. Back to the safe, bright and spacious world he came from. He really felt more than uncomfortable here. Why only Primus had sent him out here into this dark, narrow world he did not belong to?  
With another flicker, the light came back to life. No, there was no turning back. He pulled himself together, while his wings and tailplanes slowly unfolded, tentatively at first. What kind of discoverer would he be, if he was discouraged so quickly? Besides, there was the gust of wind again, that told him about this new other world, this Outside. His sensors had quickly determined which of the fissures the draft had come from, and as he glanced through, he saw another flickering, dim light at the end of the tunnel.  
He followed the passage, only to find himself in another cave. He just needed a short moment to determine the right passage, only to arrive in another small cave again. Disappointed, he let his wings hang before they snapped back to their original position. Maybe the world outside was just after the next passage. After all, it was a very long corridor with a bend, so one couldn't see the end.

Caves and chambers followed on caves and chambers for such a long time, and through so many chambers, caves, and crevices, that young newspark began to wonder if the whole universe might just consist of gaps in walls, tunnels, and caverns. An eternal labyrinth that lured with the promise of unimaginable wonders.  
Discouraged, he let himself fall against one of the walls of yet another cave, while looking at crevices with adjacent tunnels and dim lights at their end. What if there was no world outside? What if he had to spend the rest of his life here in this place that caused him so much discomfort? Those thoughts scared him. He didn't want to be trapped here forever. He didn't like being trapped. And most certainly he didn’t like to be trapped in such a place that felt like he didn't belong to. His body had begun to tremble slightly and suddenly there was so much cleaning fluid in his optics that he had to wipe it off with the back of his hand. He cowered even further with a deeply distressed and frightened keen, head on his knees, his legs drawn to his body and one arm wrapped around them. His wings were tightly wrapped around his form as if in an embrace. His free hand had involuntarily started to smoothly stroke the top of the opposite wing, something that turned out to be extremely soothing and comfortable. Another breeze swept over his body, and this time it was telling him not only about the outside world, but also about a nearby source of energon. Slowly he unfolded himself, came back to his feet, and wiped the remnants of excess cleaning fluid from his optics. He was hungry.  
The chamber with the energon well was not far. A small cave through which crept a narrow, blue luminescent trickle. He had walked almost without a break since leaving the forge of Primus, where he'd been created. He'd been OK with all the walking, because he really had wanted to finally find the world behind the caves, tunnels and crevices and as soon as possible. But now, after he had strengthened himself at the well and felt saturated he also began to feel the exhaustion from his long journey starting to gradually taking its toll.  
Next to the trickle, he found a spot on the floor that looked reasonably flat and had enough room to accommodate him. He laid down and curled himself up. To keep eerie thoughts out of his processors, he mentally imagined what the world outside would look like as he watched the energon, seeking its way through the chamber, until he fell into resting mode, optics closed and biolights dimmed to the point that their glow was barely perceptible anymore.

When he woke up again he replenished his energon reserves to their maximum and moved on until again the exhaustion took its toll. He'd started to past his time with a new game he had invented, which, at least for the most part of his walking cycle prevented him from being afraid and from thinking that perhaps there was no world outside and that he was trapped here for ever and ever. Sometimes he just hopped from one leg to the other leg and sometimes even from one imaginary metal island to the next, over tearing imaginary energon flows and deep imaginary abysses. Each island was having its own sound, which he generated with the help of his vocalizer and which depended on how and from where he landed on said island. The sounds echoed through the corridors, caves, and chambers in a strange echo, and each time he stepped into a new corridor, they sounded different. That was exciting and always made him curious as to what the next tunnel might sound like.

The young newspark didn't know how long he'd been wandering through this labyrinth of metal and ore. Walking cycles had followed resting cycles, resting cycles had followed on walking cycles and each time he had awoken in just yet another dull cave it had been harder for him to convince himself that Primus, who had created him and sent him along this path, as well as the base protocols and the draft that guided him, did not just do a bad trick with him. It became harder to convince himself that there really was another world outside this seemingly infinite maze, a new world just waiting to be discovered and explored by him. To convince himself that he had not only been created with all those hopes and dreams in his young spark to just see how far he came before he gave up and died to become one with AllSpark again. The last thought made defiance germinate inside his Spark, because even if it was like this, he'd be the one who came farthest from all and had seen the most chambers and caves before his spark became one with the AllSpark again. He would not just give up, lay down and die. No, never. And maybe there really was a goal, a different world and if he reached it, then he would have won this stupid game.

Slowly but surely, his environment had begun to change. It had become cooler among other things, something that wasn't quite to his liking. The composition of the walls had changed as well. At least the materials here had different colors and were over all more colorful. Another significant change in his environment were the metal grates that blocked some passageways. The grates didn't look like they had always been here. They didn't seem to belong here, because somehow they did not quite fit in with the rest of the maze. Just like the scattered lights on the ceilings of the chambers and caves. Who had created and brought them here? And why? The grates looked old, just like the lights. Some were damaged and weathered or covered in strange, slimy deposits. It must have been a long time since anyone had taken care of these grates and the lights. Still, it was something that gave him hope. Someone had to have been bringing all this into the labyrinth from somewhere. And if that was the case, it had to mean that Primus, the Base Protocols, and the draft had not been lying to him about his mission and the outside world. All he had to do was follow the path the draft showed him, then he would eventually find it and with it the creatures who created the grates and lights.  
One walking cycle he passed by some bars covered in strange markings. Flat, weathered notches arranged in groups of four. These notches were the most interesting thing he'd discovered in a long time, and he began to wonder about the origins and meanings of those marks. He peered into the dark crevice behind the marked bars but couldn't see anything. He listened, but apart from the steady rumble of walls themselves that had accompanied him from the beginning of his journey, everything was quiet.

As his feet and legs hurt again, he decided to take another short break. He was sure that those feet of his, with their strange shape that always gave in a little each time he trod, were not meant to be walking around on all the time. As he tried to relax the delicate joints and articulators, freeing pinched cables and pushing them back to their original position, he looked at his feet once more. They seemed to consist of four parts, three of them were forward-facing, with a pointed end, and an elongated, round part at the back, somehow hollow on the inside. Why Primus had given him such strange feet on which one couldn't walk decently for reasonable period of time, while obviously expecting him to do just that was beyond him.

He had stopped counting how many changes of resting cycles and walking cycles there had been, as well as how many chambers, caves, tunnels and cracks he had already crossed as the surrounding sounds began to change. Their frequencies becoming higher and the always diffuse rumbled began to turn into a variety of different and new sounds, that were slowly becoming clearer and more complex. Sometimes it sounded like distant footsteps, sometimes like the rushing of fluid behind a wall and sometimes he could hear the echoing of hissing, roaring or screaming.  
He didn't know what exactly he should think of these new sounds, yet. They seemed to be a clue that he might not be alone down here. That would be great, he thought. He'd already found out that he did not like being alone. He was not made to be alone, and his spark had begun to yearn more and more for the company of other beings, for feeling companionship. On the other hand, he thought, those sounds were somewhat disturbing at times, some of them sounded like danger.  
Temperature, noise, and the colors of the surrounding metals and ore were not the only things that had changed. It also seemed as if the intervals in which he passed energon wells on its way as well as the energon itself changed. The blue fluid smelt and tasted different, but foremost it seemed to give him less energy than the wells and rivers he had discovered in the forge or at the beginning of his journey.

The young newspark hadn't found energon for five changes of rest cycle and walking cycle. This was by far the longest distance between two wells, as far as he could tell, and his body had already begun to protest against being denied the vital liquid. He was exhausted much quicker, so that the walking cycles became shorter and the rest periods became longer. He also felt weaker, so he wasn't able progress as fast as before anymore, also he needed more breaks. The part of himself that contained the basic protocols informed him that the performance of all non-essential systems and biomechanics had been limited to half of their true potential. A rationing measure designed to keep the body alive in times of scarcity.  
Again and again, especially during the last two walking cycles, the thought of this being nothing but a bad game had crept back into his processors again. And every time they did he'd crumpled and cried until he'd been able to chase those evil thoughts from his processors. It was unfair and mean that the wells were farther and farther apart while the energon they provided was burned through by his body faster and faster. What if at some point there were no sources at all anymore? He did not want to starve. Starvation hurt. Why did Primus do that? Why did he starve his creations? He was his god, his creator, he must have created this labyrinth, too. So why didn't he install more energon sources? How was anyone supposed to ever find the exit when they were starved to death first?  
The characteristic scent of energon on his chemical sensors tore him from his worried thoughts. His spark glowing with relief his footsteps accelerated more and more as the scent grew steadily stronger.  
He could already feel exhaustion taking its toll again, and just when he was sure he couldn't another step without just falling forward and into resting mode, his path led him to a relatively large cave. The life-giving liquid running down the opposite wall just to disappear somewhere in the ground.  
Impatiently, the young newspark waited until enough of energon had accumulated in his palms before letting the liquid flow greedily into his mouth and holding his hands in the shallow stream again, repeating this procedure until a noise from one of the side corridors made him stop. It was a rhythmic click. Not diffuse and distant but clear and close by. He turned his gaze in the direction of the sound and saw a four-legged creature whose shoulders would probably reach up to his waist if it would stretch its legs to their full length. The creature, crouching now, moved toward the grate blocking its way into the cave. Its four yellow optics fixed on the young newspark and began to pursue every little movement of his body. Fascinated, the young newspark watched as a series of yellow and green lights began to run in wavelike patterns across the filigree yellow-green armor and the creature's twitching tail. Since leaving the forge, he hadn't met any other creature, and he'd feared he would be doomed to wander the eternal maze alone forever – or until he died.  
He regarded the creature with a mixture of frank curiosity and fascination. Wings stretched as high as their shape allowed as they moved back and forth attentively. It was nice and exciting not to be alone anymore. He watched the creature coming closer to the grate and now he could see the reason for the clicking sounds it produced with every step. Each of the creature's feet was provided with four sharp, black claws.  
After swallowing the energon that had gathered in them, he took a look at his own hands. They too ended in sharp, black claws. The creature noisily drew air through its facial ventilation systems for a few times, much like he did when he followed the scent of an energon source. Maybe the creature was hungry? He used his hands again to scoop up some of the blue liquid before he also approached the grate.  
"Hello." It was the first time in his life that he spoke a word.  
He hadn't known that he was capable of producing more than simple sounds until now. That was exciting because words had only been in his head so far.  
"Hungry?" He asked, holding his cupped hands in front of the creature's head. The words sounded different when he spoke them, then they did when they were only inside his head.  
The creature eyed the liquid presented to him only with a brief, suspicious look, before its entire shape tensed, revealing a truly impressive set of pointed and sharp teeth, before making a strong leap in the direction of the young newspark, seemingly completely forgetting about the grate.  
The young newspark's body had reacted before he'd even known what was happening. After a brief signal peak, combined with a peculiar twitching of his entire body, he jumped back escaped the claws and teeth intended for him by an armor plate's breadth. The creature growled menacingly as it shook off the remnants of the grate that still clung to his body as it readied itself for the next attack.  
Meanwhile, the young newspark noticed that something had changed fundamentally in his body. Everything around him suddenly seemed to be slower than usual, he was feeling stronger, more concentrated, any trace of exhaustion or fatigue gone, his ventilation systems working faster and on a higher setting to supply the energon converters with more air to process the live fuel inside of them more quickly. Apparently, something calling itself battle protocols had been activated by the attack being responsible for his current condition. Now all he had to do was to decide if he wanted to fight or flee. The battle protocols would support him in both. It wasn't an easy decision. The creature in front of him was a terrifying monster that wanted to do him harm, a danger – he made another leap to avoid its attack – but he could still feel the hunger on the edge of his consciousness and if the distance to the next source was as far as to the last one or even further ...  
Attack – dodge – attack – dodge.  
They were almost back to their original positions now. The young newspark with his back to the tunnel leading to the next chamber, the monster in front of the formerly barred gap from which it had come. It growled and hissed angrily that the seemingly easy prey had turned out to be so troublesome.  
'Fighting', the young newspark decided inwardly and the combat protocols optimized the configuration of his biomechanics and his power supply in fractions of an instant for this task. At the same time, his wings flared, upper edges tilted forward. A gesture of intimidation that made him seem bigger, more imposing and, above all, more dangerous. A series of threatening sounds and dangerous-sounding trills left his vocalizer while his fingers spread and tensed, ready to hack his powerful claws into his opponent's armor. A strategy that, seemed to work, as the monster didn't attack again, hesitating and eyeing his opponent cautiously while trying to determine whether the meal was worth the effort or whether it should rather wait until easier prey passed.  
"Away!", The young newspark shouted at the monster as he waved his claws in its general direction. The sound of his voice much higher now than it had been before. "Away! Monster!"  
Tensely he waited for the next attack. But the attack did never come. Instead, the monster decided with an angry hiss and an almost disappointed growl that for now it would be better to retreat. It took the young newspark a while to be sure that the monster would not come back to attack him by surprise.  
When the battle protocols had finally shut down and allowed his body to relax again, he felt almost as exhausted as just before his first resting cycle. He could have just fallen over here and now, and go into resting mode – probably the other way round – but the monster was still out there, waiting for him to tire and to let his guard down. So he went carefully went back to the well and began to drink again until all of his energon tanks reported to be completely filled, while keeping attentive sensors on the gap from which the monster had come. Being done here he left the cave, following lights and draft as he kept on walking. Only kept awake by the power of his stubbornness.  
He'd passed through another ten chambers when he felt safe enough for a break. His body almost immediately dropping into resting mode.


	4. Friendship

When the young newspark awoke he felt much less recovered than he was used to. Apparently part of him had been staying awake, looking for signs of an immanent attack. The fact that he had slept while sitting, had also not contributed to his recovery. So he decided to curl up on the floor for a while and doze off a little until he felt rested enough to move on. After all, no one drove him into a hurry.  
But nothing came of the plan. Just when he'd found a comfortable position on the floor and closed the optics, the trace of a new scent reached his the chemical sensors. Strangely familiar yet alien at the same time. Maybe that was the exit. Maybe that was the smell of the world outside. He was on his feet and out of into the next corridor in almost one leap.  
The path to the source of the new scent wasn't far, but the closer he came and the better he could sense it, the less he liked him. It smelt of energon, but not at the same time. It somehow smelled wrong, like wrong energon, like danger.  
The source of the wrong energon's scent lay in a small, sparsely lit chamber, the light source of which had almost completely disappeared under a crust of something he'd better kept his fingers far away from. The only other sources of light were the reddish glow of his biolights and the faint glow of a pair of blue optics that suddenly gained in brightness as the being to which they belonged became aware of him. He wondered if his optics were glowing too, and if so, which color they would have.  
His gaze fell on a blue, luminescent puddle under the right leg of the being, and, from there, moved to the thin trickle of blue luminescent fluid that emerged from a crack in the being's armor. As far as he could tell, the blue liquid was the source of the strange scent. It seemed to be energon — at least it looked like that. But the smell was not quite right somehow.  
Carefully he stepped closer and looked at the being in front of him curiously and a just little skeptical. After all, the last being he'd met had turned out to be an evil monster and attacked him. However, this one didn't make a very dangerous impression, unlike the last one. It had no claws, but slender, delicate fingers that were rounded at the front and its face didn't look like one could hide nasty monster's teeth in it. The creature, which would probably only measure up to the top of his cockpit, had a delicate body, which was protected by a comparatively light armor. The delicately crafted, pale-purple metal stretched in soft curves across her protoform. Colored accents were the black of the flexible material, which protected its abdomen, waist and presumably its lower back, as well as the intricate silver pattern that spread over its entire body. The armor of its head also was mostly silver, leaving only the part that framed her face and formed a ridge at her forehead in a light violet color.  
"Hello," he greeted the other creature, who also eyed him suspiciously.  
"Are you a monster?" The creature asked anxiously, voice bright and clear, eyes firmly fixed on his claws.  
He was pretty sure he wasn't one. So he quickly shook his head. "No", he answered. "You?"  
"No."  
He nodded, that was very reassuring to know.  
"Why do you have claws, if you're not a monster?" The being asked, still suspicious and anxious.  
He looked at his hands.  
"Don't know", he answered. "What are those things at the back of your feet?"  
"Wheels. Where are yours?"  
He considered her question for a moment, but as far as he knew, he didn't have such things. At least up to now his basic protocols hadn't denoted any of his physical components as 'wheels'. "I think I do not have something like that. What are they good for?"  
"There are sensors in them. And in my legs, too. I can feel the ground with them." The creature smiled for the first time since they met. "It's like the ground is talking to me through my wheels", she explained.  
"Really? The ground never spoke to me, but the air does. Why do your wings look so weird?" He pointed to the peculiar shapes of translucent bulletproof glass and metal that grew out of the creature's back.  
"These are door wings", the being corrected.  
"What's their purpose?"  
"I do not know. What do you do with your wings?"  
"My sensors in there, the ones that allow me to feel what the air is telling me."  
The creature studied its wings for a moment. "They are pretty", it said then.  
A broad grin spread across the face of the young newspark as he felt the words fill his spark with pride and joy. He raised his wings and spread them wide. Not to intimidate this time, but to present them to the being before him in all their glory.  
"I think your armor is beautiful", he replied, earning an equally broad and proud grin. "Do you want to be my friend?"  
The being nodded eagerly. "Yes. I am- ", it thought for a moment. "My designation is AX96."  
He searched around in his head for a moment. Did he also have a designation?  
"My designation is C36", he finally said, after the baseline protocols had given him the answer to his mental question.

After the two young newsparks had made friends, AX96 had told C36 that a monster had attacked and injured her while she was strengthening herself at an energon well. She didn't know exactly how, but she had managed to escape the monster and flee to this cave before the battle protocols had deactivated and her leg had been hurting too much to keep going. When AX96 had finished her story, he told her about his own encountered with a monster and how he too just barely escaped by scaring it away.  
Since both of them had rested badly after their encounters with the labyrinth's monsters and both of them were exhausted, they decided to stay in this cave for a little while longer. They would have a good rest, before carrying on with their search for the world outside. Maybe the leg of AX96 would also be better after the next resting cycle.  
Since they both didn't like to be alone and nearness of another kind-sparked being felt really good, the newly found friends had quickly decided that best resting position was being snuggled up to one other. It gave them a sense of safety and security, and was very reassuring, because they weren't alone anymore. Alternating, they kept watch while the other went into resting mode.  
When they were both rested enough to continue on their journey, C36 supported his newly found friend and companion, as she wasn't quite able to walk on her own just yet. After all, the blue trickle of wrong energon had dried up.

Uncounted walking cycles had passed while the two friends had traversed countless chambers, caves and tunnels and the injured leg of AX96 was as good as healed now. The boredom that came with running from chamber to chamber, walking cycle after walking cycle, they had relieved with games they had thought up. There were so much more possible pass times when one wasn't alone, but together with a friend.  
Only once or twice they had seen suspicious optics glowing in the darkness of unlit tunnels, but the monsters didn't dare to attack them while there was the two of them. And so they'd stayed in their holes, growling and hissing.  
Meanwhile, C36 had told his companion about his plan to become the greatest discoverer of the universe and AX96 had in turn had told him that she liked to create beautiful things and wanted to become a great artist. When he had looked at her questioningly, she had taken a small piece of metal between her hands and then closed her optics. When she opened her hands again, the lump of metal had turned into a filigree shape that resembled the silver pattern on her armor. With optics big with astonishment he had asked her how she'd done that, and she'd told him that she only had to close her optics and concentrate on the shape. He'd tried that too, but nothing had happened. It had been quite disappointing, but he'd taken his metal piece with him, so he could practice when they were resting. He really wanted to be able to do that, too. But no matter how hard he tried and how often he practiced, nothing ever happened.

They reached a small grotto with low ceiling, which looked like a suitable resting place — just as any other place in this labyrinth where there were no monsters. But just when they'd found a comfortable spot on the ground something exciting caught the attention of C36. The trail of the breeze had only touched him briefly on his left wing's tip and yet it had managed to light up his entire sensor net. His companion looked at him quizzically as he rose and began to pace up and down their cave, instead of cuddling up to her. His wings and tail planes twitching and moving as they tried to align themselves with the breeze that had been responsible for all the kerfuffle in his sensor net, but for the moment there was nothing to align to. So there was nothing he could do, but keep on pacing in restless search.  
"What's wrong with you?", AX96 asked worriedly, but didn't get an answer.  
She had never seen her friend acting like this before and it started to scare her. Suddenly C36 paused in the middle of his movements, only his wings and tail planes still twitching slightly as AX96 got up and carefully approached him.  
"C36?"  
"Come over! Quick! Hurry up!", C36 suddenly called excitedly, his voice high-pitched, nearly skipping two octaves as he grabbed her hand.  
Before she even had the chance to react, he started to run of into one of the corridors. And because he wasn't just bigger, but apparently also a lot stronger than she was, he pulled her along with him.  
Almost blindly, he followed corridors, crossed chambers and crevices leading them both through the seemingly infinite labyrinth. Only guided by the constantly refreshing draft on the sensors of his wings and tail planes. C36 had almost forgotten his frightened companion in his excitement until suddenly a very uncomfortable feeling spread in his right hand, quickly becoming quite painful. It felt like his hand was about to liquefy.  
"Ouch!" He paused, letting go of her and quickly pulled his aching hand protectively against his chest.  
"Sorry", AX96 muttered. "But you scared me."  
The tips of his wings nearly slumped to the ground. He quickly shook his head. No, he didn't want her to be afraid of him. She was his friend after all.  
"I'm sorry", he murmured with a thoughtful look at his clawed hands before quickly hiding them behind his back. Monsters had claws and monsters had to be afraid of. But he didn't want to be a monster. He wasn't a monster, and he didn't want others to be afraid of him.  
"But ... we're still friends, aren't we?", he asked cautiously.  
"Yes ... think so ...", AX96 answered after a moment's thought. "But only if you tell me what's going on and why you are behaving like this." C36 still looked pretty hectic and way too excited for her liking, and that made her nervous somehow, and she didn't like being nervous.  
"I found it! The outside world, I found it!" His red optics glowed with excitement.  
"The outside world? You've found it? For real?"  
C36 nodded eagerly and AX96's optics began to glow in a bright blue, as the enthusiasm of her companion leaped to her as spreading fire. C36 cautiously extended his hand to her, and she took it. Together they ran the last part of their journey. They couldn't wait to see what the world outside would look like.  
"It is very close! I can feel it. Come on!"  
And C36 was right. One last chamber, one last crack, one last tunnel, and then they'd reached the exit.


	5. Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> C36 discovers his special ability.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo again, and sorry for the long pause, but I've been moving to a new town and the whole thing took up much more time than I thought.  
> Also, since English is not my nativ language, I would much appreciate if someone would help me as beta reader. 
> 
> Thanks to every one who has send Kudos.  
> And everyone enjoy the next chapter.
> 
> greetings   
> Chirocco

The last passage had brought the two young newsparks into a completely new and strange world. The two of them had not known exactly what they had hoped for, but what they found did not exactly live up to their expectations.   
In front of them lay smooth, silvery ground, which eventually lost itself in the darkness and was distinguished above all by the fact that it seemed completely level, empty and deserted. Behind them towered an immensely high wall, which seemed to run in a wide arc around the empty space in front of them. Here and there one could see the blue glow of Energon running down the walls in narrow streams. What they could see from their point of view was rather disappointing, apart from the apparently abundant supply of Energon.  
"What now?" AX96 looked at him questioningly.  
"I do not know. I'm tired", he answered.  
"Me too."

An urgent shaking to his left wing ripped him rudely from his power down mode and the associated dream worlds.  
"Wake up! Wake up!", He heard the voice of AX96 right next to his audio sensors.  
In a fraction of an instant he was on his feet, wings spread wide, battle protocols activated, ready to scare away any monster that threatened them – or flee, depending on how scary and dangerous it looked. But, there was no monster and nothing else that looked threatening. When the realization had completely sunken in, the combat protocols deactivated themselves almost immediately, leaving behind a much more relaxed but deeply confused young newspark.  
"Look," AX96 answered his unspoken question, pointing upwards.  
There was an expression on her face that alternated between awe, being overwhelmed, and wonderment. Her optics sparkled and her mouth was wide open, her eyes fixed on something above her. He followed her gaze. His spark jumped and began to light up for a moment as his wings fluttered with happiness. The sight was absolutely beautiful. A sea of color extended over the circular opening left by the walls around. A multitude of luminous and sparkling objects glittered in the midst of the splendor of color. 'Sky', he thought, but for him it was much more than a mere word. It was an overwhelming feeling that words could not describe and almost at the same moment he knew exactly what the place he belonged to looked like. He belonged there. He belonged to the sky.  
Spellbound, the two watched the first sunrise of their lives. Finally, the sparkling objects were gone and the sky had turned a bright blue. The spectacle was over and the attention of the two young newsparks was once again in their immediate surroundings. The sky above them gave an astonishing amount of light compared to the lights that illuminated the underground labyrinth. Now they could clearly see that their first impression had been correct. They stood on the edge of a gigantic round surface, completely flat, completely empty and completely deserted. Surrounded by gigantic walls.  
"Where are the others?", C36 asked. They could not possibly be the only two beings here in the world outside. They could not possible be the only ones who had made it through the labyrinth.  
"Maybe they're hiding?" His companion mused, but nowhere there were any cracks or gaps to be seen in the walls. At least they weren't able to detect any despite intensive scans. Instead, they discovered something else. A staircase that spiraled in circular tracks along the walls.  
"I think we have to go up there", C36 stated.

In the time it took them to cross the plain in front of them and get to the bottom of the stairs, the sun had wandered over the edge of the rounded abyss at the bottom of which they were walking, and it was already close to disappearing again behind the opposite edge of the opening. If it had been bright before, the appearance of the sun had made the world even brighter. In addition, the bright rays were pleasantly warm on their armor. As they'd ascended, the labyrinth had steadily become cooler, a change that had especially displeased C36. However, the warming light of the sun reminded them both of the security of the forge in which they were created.  
At the foot of the stairs they decided to take a break to enjoy the last rays of the beautiful warm sunlight. C36 had set his back to the sun and stretched out his wings to capture as many of the warming rays as possible. Meanwhile AX96 had found a pretty stone that shimmered in a variety of different colors. Under the watchful eyes of her friend she let the stone disappear between her hands and concentrated a long moment. Then she opened her hands again with a grin and he saw a highly detailed figure that represented a being like him and shimmered in different colors depending on the angle. C36 looked at the object with large optics. He wanted to be able to do that too.  
"For you", she said holding out her flat hand with the figure on it.  
With an excited glint in his optics he grabbed the figure and turned it around in his claws to look at it from all sides.  
"Its beautiful. You will definitely be a great artist."  
That said, he laid the figure carefully on one the stairs and also grabbed a lump of iridescent material from the floor. Just like his companion, he let it disappear between his palms and concentrated, but when he opened his hands again, there was still only the stone. He tried again. Maybe he just had to concentrate better. So he focused all of his processing power on the object between his hands and the shape it was supposed to take – he had even closed his optics with concentration. But again nothing had changed. That was really stupid. With a frustrated sound, he threw the iridescent stone away, reaching for the figure again, and for a moment lost himself in its dazzling colors.

They had followed the staircase about an eighth of their way around the huge empty area below them, as the sky began to change its color again and darkened. In the midst of the spectacular display of colors, the gleaming sparks they had seen before appeared again – stars. It was beautiful. So beautiful... His eyes had fixed firmly on the sky and he felt a deep longing stir inside his spark. A longing he had already felt on the edge of his consciousness before, but only now he was able to really grasp it. The wind and the air spoke to him, but the sky called him.  
A few steps in front of them was a landing just big enough for them both to sit comfortably. There they decided to rest until it was time for the light to return.

A not-so-relaxing resting period later, the two friends watched the second sunrise of their lives. It was still a spectacular and impressive miracle that neither of them could ever see enough of. Then the colors of the sky had given way to the bright blue of the day. After stretching their stiff limbs to release canted joint components and stretched their articulators, they continued on their way.  
By the time the sun had nearly reached its highest level, they had half-circled the empty area below, and as the sunset once more cast spectacular colors across the sky, they had almost completed their first circumnavigation. They had already left the floor far below them, but the upper edge of the steep walls did not seem to have moved any closer.   
The landing they reached a few steps later offered only the possibility to rest in sitting, but at least the two newsparks were reasonably sure that there were no monsters here to be afraid of. There was nowhere they could have hidden themselves.

The further and higher they came, the closer the AX96 held to the wall and the more careful she tread. She'd made the mistake of looking down into the depths beneath the stairs and it had left her deeply scared. This was not a place she belonged to. She needed safe, wide ground under her feet, or at least ground with the walls of a cave around it, but that vast, deep, empty nothingness of the abyss so close to her was absolutely terrifying, and every one of her baseline protocols screamed danger. AX96's discomfort had not escaped C36, but he did not quite understand what was causing it. The higher they came, the better he felt. Finally they had left the frightening narrowness of the caves behind. The outside was so rich with new sensations and the higher they came, the more there was to feel, to smell, to hear and even to see. But his friend did not seem to enjoy it at all. Again and again she had huddled anxiously against the wall, as he had done when the caves and the evil thoughts had frightened him. AX96 had comforted him then and caressed his wings until he had calmed down again. Out here in the world outside, things seemed the other way around. Now he was the one comforting his companion, gently brushing the backs of his claws over her door wings until she was calm enough to walk on.  
Once, when the sun was about to disappear behind the edge of the opening above them, they reached a comparatively wide landing and decided to take their break there. Up in the sky, there were small creatures to be seen now, dancing in the wind. It lit up the Spark of C36 and made his wings flutter to just watch them, while he could feel the wind on his armor, tailplanes and wings. Deep inside, he understood this seemingly chaotic dance with the wind and involuntarily his body began to adapt his posture over and over again to the air currents – or at least he tried that as good as it was possible, if one stood with both feet on the ground. Apparently it had looked quite strange, because his AX96 had started to laugh heartily at the sight.  
"That looks funny", she said, earning an indignant look.  
"That's not funny."  
"But still looks funny. What are you even doing?"  
"I'm dancing with the wind", he answered, expression serious.  
She seemed to consider that for a moment. "Is that fun?", she then asked curiously.  
A bright grin had spread across C36's face as he nodded enthusiastically. The next moment she stood beside him, trying to imitate his movements. It looked kind of weird, he thought, and he began to giggle at the sight.  
For a while, the two young newsparks were completely immersed in their new game and the joy it brought them. Everything around them had been completely forgotten. AX96 had even managed to banish the evil abyss from her mind for the moment and how scared she was of it. In silence, both had decided to stay here for the resting cycle. None of them had much desire to continue up the stairs for now. Their entire life so far had consisted only of the alternation of walking and resting while following a mysterious path and the promise of something great, new and interesting and that was slowly but surely getting boring. But they couldn't quit either, at least not while they were here on this staircase. After all, one could not even reasonably rest here, as the landings were uncomfortable and partly so weathered that there was barely enough space for the both of them. On landings like those they had gone back to alternating in their power down periods, so that one could recover, while the other was watching out for the other not to plunge into the depths accidentally. As a result, their breaks had often lasted well into the day. Also climbing the stairs was really exhausting in the long run and especially C36 had his problems with the constant stair-climbing, compared to AX96, his rather heavily armored body did not seem to be quite designed to cover such ways over a long period of time. More and more often he had complained of pain in his legs and his feet especially his heels. So they only had progressed slowly over the last walking cycles.  
The dance with wind had soon turned into a new game. Each of them alternately thought out a short series of movements and the other had to imitate them. So time went by with a lot of giggling and happy laughter until the sun disappeared again and the sky started to shine in bright colors. C36 was just beginning his final sequence of movements before they would end their game to find a good resting place – after all, they both felt pretty exhausted by now – when AX96 felt a suspicious vibration in the floor. A warning that the ground was treacherous and one should choose their steps wisely. She wanted to warn her friend, with whom the floor did not speak, but it was already too late.  
"C36, -!", She shouted, but did not get any further, because that moment the edge of the landing gave away under the foot of her companion.   
C36 had only just enough time to cry out in surprise while fighting to keep his balance flailing about and flapping his wings for a moment, before he finally lost his footing for good.  
Her first impulse had been to leap forward and pull her friend back onto the landing, but just as she took a step towards him, arms and hands outstretched to grab his hand, the ground had warned her again. This time more urgent. She'd hesitated and now she could do nothing but watch as her companion plunged into the depths. With frightful optics, she watched as, in a last futile attempt, he struck his claws in the edge of the landing. But their sharpness now turned out to be a big drawback as they cut through the material almost effortlessly, leaving him no hold. Then he was gone.  
With a shocked "No!", she backed away from the evil abyss that had swallowed her   
friend until her back bumped against the safety-giving wall. Cleaning fluid welled up into her optics and her spark throbbed so violently that she feared he could blow up it's chamber. The shock had activated her combat protocols and her ventilation systems were working on their highest setting to give the energon converters more air to speed up their work and energy output, as well as to help the cooling systems compensate for the overheating caused by the temporary, emotion-induced overclocking of her systems. Soft, keening sounds left her vocalist as the battle logs released their grip on her and her legs gave out shakily beneath her. She had lost her best friend. Her only friend. She wiped the optics with the back of her hand to control the flood of cleaning fluid, but the stupid stuff just did not want to stop flooding her optics and obscuring her view as she pressed herself so hard against the wall behind her, as if she wanted to become one with it.  
The evil abyss had simply swallowed C36 and now he was gone and she was all alone and no one was there anymore and no one was with her anymore to hug her and stroke her door wings and comfort her when she was afraid and too scared to go on because of the thought the evil abyss might swallow her and she did not want to go back to AllSpark yet. After all, she had not become a great artist yet and what should Primus think of her? But here there was no energon and eventually the hunger would come back and the hunger would hurt and then she had to start walking again, but the evil abyss would still be there and she was scared and she was all alone and nobody was there and ... and ...  
Someone shook her arm. "Come on, look, I have to show you something!", exclaimed the excited voice of C36 beside her.  
Confused, she looked up at the voice and saw the blurry outlines of her colorful companion. While she was trying to understand how he had gotten there, he knelt down next to her and started to run the backs of his claws hurriedly over the top edge of her right door wing. AX96 wiped the last remnants of the cleaning liquid from the optics. The stream of which had dried up in the surprise of seeing her friend again.  
"Do not be sad anymore, please do not be afraid anymore", C36 tried to calm his companion, while he looked at her with excitement sparkling optics and biolights while his his wings and tail planes twitched restlessly. "I really need to show you something, I can do something special now, too", he explained as he got up again and impatiently shifted from one foot to the other while he waited for AX96 to pay attention to him.  
"You fell down and then you were gone and I was all alone."  
He crouched next to his friend again. He really wanted to show her what the special thing was, that he could do now, but in her present state she would hardly be able to appreciate that. Also he was feeling bad when AX96 was not feeling well. It made him sad. Encouraging, he nudged her, making a sound somewhere between chirping and twittering, a sound that he knew was almost always able to cheer her up immediately, because she thought it sounded funny and made her laugh. Even now, a timid smile slowly crept onto her face. He repeated his actions and this time he was even rewarded with a fleeting grin and a short giggle. Then her eyes became questioning.  
"You fell into the evil abyss and I thought you were gone and one the AllSpark again and that I'm all alone and ... and ... and ..." Her voice failed and the vocalizer made only incoherent noises while her blue optics began to shine wet at the mere memory of the fears she had experienced and the supposed loss of her best friend. He quickly shook his head  
"No, no, please do not cry anymore", he said in a worried voice.  
He'd never seen his friend like this before and it hurt his Spark to see her like that.

The moons were already high in the sky as AX96 slowly slipped into power down mode. The whole time C36 had held her in his arms and tried to comfort and calm her. A task that had almost driven him to the edge of despair, as he simply could not understand what was going on with his friend and why she was so unusually resistant to his comforting. Again and again this had gotten him close to crying himself. He knew the whole thing was somehow related to his fall, but nothing had happened to him. And now everything was fine again, wasn’t it? So why did she act like this? But whenever he ran these questions through his processors, he simply didn’t get a satisfactory answer. He hoped she was fine again after the rest period. He no longer wanted his friend to feel bad and he also wanted to show her what he could do and tell her how he found out about his special ability. He wanted her to rejoice with him and to be proud of him.  
His thoughts started to drift as he slowly but surely powered down, too and he dreamed of flying and of the event that had helped him discover that previously hidden ability.

..  
….  
…...  
C36 plummeted, and when it was clear there was nothing left to prevent it, a strange spike of energy surged through his systems as before in the monster’s attack. This time, however, it wasn’t just a brief twitch. This time he could feel how his armor had begun to open in some places before the plates, and with them some of his inner mechanics, had tried to move. But he had not wanted that. It felt strange and so he had fought against it. His physical components should be staying where they belonged, not being wandering around. And indeed, they had obeyed him, going back to their proper place and refraining from further attempts to move elsewhere. All this, he realized, happened only within a fraction of a moment. The shock of the fall had activated his battle logs, which explained the speed of data processing. Besides, the freefall had activated something called flight protocolls. They had sharpened the sensors of his wings and tailplanes, made sure that the data from position sensor, compass, altimeter and the level of the energy storage within his lower legs where constantly linked into his consciousness and remained there, whether he wanted it or not. In addition, they had increased his data processing speed once more, so that it didn’t take much effort to deal with the sheer flood of incoming data. Finally, like the basic protocols at the beginning of his existence, they had taught him a series of basic movements. Following this, he had ensured that his feet were positioned as central as possible under his body and then activated hitherto unknown biomechanics within his lower legs and feet. As soon as the mental order had been sent, a blaze of flames had shot down from each of his heels – rocket engines his flight logs where calling them – causing his fall to slow until he stood in the air. There he had paused for a moment, trying to understand what had just happened.   
At first it had not been easy to keep his balance and not to tip in one direction. In his chest, he'd been able to feel his spark pulsing wildly and excitedly in its chamber and the energon rushing through his fuel lines while his body was trying hard to transport it to wherever it was needed – which was apparently everywhere. His cooling systems had also taken on a higher setting so that he could hear the whirring of the fans quietly. After all, the combat protocols were quickly deactivated again in the absence of enemies.  
Slowly but surely, the realization of where he was and what he was doing had sunken in. He had been in the air, the place he belonged to, and he had flown. That had been a unique feeling. Never in his short life had the young Neuspark felt so happy and so free.  
After some trial and error, he had figured out how to move in the air and how he could ascend and descend on simple mental commands. It had been like the dance with the wind, only much better, since now the ground no longer hindered him. Every new maneuver had elicited a happy chirping and over time he had become increasingly confident in his movements. He had risen well above the landing he had fallen from and overwhelmed by his emotions, he had tipped his head back and called all his feelings to the heaven above in a long, high frequency sound.   
"AX96," he had called to his companion.  
His girlfriend had to see that, but she had not noticed him at all. She had huddled against the wall and buried her head in her knees.  
…...  
….  
..

 

The warming rays of the sun, greeted the two friends as they finally awoke from their power down. AX96 seemed to be feeling better again, something that made C36 feel reliefed and very happy.  
"I have to show you something," he said bluntly in an excited voice.  
She looked at him questioningly, but before she could say anything, he had already broken away from her and took a few steps between himself and his companion. Then he jumped up – the flight protocolls told him he had to do that on a launch from the ground – and activated his rocket engines.  
With large optics, AX96 watched as her friend first hovered an arm's length above the ground and then began to move through the air.  
"Now I, too, can do something special," he explained proudly after he had landed again.  
"Can I do that, too? " As a test she jumped into the air a few times, always keeping to the safety-giving wall, concentrating on staying up, but each time gravity pulled her back to the ground.  
"I have an idea", C36 explained as a broad grin spread across his face. "We take a shortcut upwards."  
"A shortcut?" AX96 was not sure if she liked how that sounded. Was it even allowed to take shortcuts?  
"Yes, you hold on to me and then we fly to the edge." After a short pause, he added, "But first we have to go over to that landing over there." C36 pointed to the next landing wich was next to an energonfall. "Flying makes really hungry."

By the time the sun was out of their sight, they had reached their destination. But as the sky already began to darken after they had both strengthened enough, they decided to postpone their ascent until after their next resting phase, when the was light would be back.

They both awoke on time for the sunrise, which had lost nothing of its beauty and fascination even after the many times they had already seen it. So they waited, gazing fixedly at the sky above them, until the spectacle of nature was over, and only then did they begin to consider how put their plan of taken a shortcut into action.  
It quickly became apparent that it was almost impossible for C36 to keep its balance in the air when AX96 was holding onto him. Every movement of AX96 shifted his center of gravity and she was constantly fidgeting, so that it was impossible to adapt. He had told her to hold still, but that was easier said than done. For her, it was a strange feeling to not having any firm ground under her feet. It felt like she would be falling into infinite depths at any moment.  
Maybe it would work if he held on somewhere, C36 thought after another failed attempt. With this in mind, he slammed his claws into the metal of the walls and, after a few tries, had actually figured out how to anchor and release them in the material. Then he knelt down, wings and tailplanes spread out wide. AX96 climbed onto his back once more. He instructed her to hold on tight to his shoulder ventilation systems and to put her legs tightly around his waist.

When the sunset enveloped the sky in the evening's color spectacle, they had covered just about the half of their remaining journey. AX96 had been more than relieved to finally have solid ground underfoot again, even though it was at an altitude that she did not want to think about and C36 was glad that his friend had no claws like him.  
After both of them had refueled, the two friends were preparing for their last night on the stairs. Tomorrow they would reach the top edge of the gigantic hole that was the Well of All Sparks. What kind of world would be up there? Where there any other creatures like them? And if so, would they be their friends? Cuddled together, they fantasized about this new world and about all the adventures and discoveries that awaited them there. Tomorrow they would find out.


	6. Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter were many questions are asked but only few answers are given.

At first glance, the world of the surface looked similarly unspectacular, as the large, circular space they had stepped upon when they left the subterranean labyrinth. Again, they stood on the edge of a large metal plain, with the only difference being that it seemed to be endless. The vast plain seemed to merged with the sky at some point in the distance.  
Behind them was the abyss, a circular, gigantic hole in the surface of the planet. It was bordered by a broad strip of silver metal floor that stood out against the gray of the rest of the plain. As they looked around, they noticed that there was more silver around the abyss that formed a strange pattern on the surface of the plain.

The two young newsparks had made it to a safe distance to the edge of the abyss. Now they just stood there and admired the sheer endlessness all around them. Never before had they seen such a big place with so much space. But to their dismay they found the place surprisingly empty and abandoned. After all, they now seemed to have reached the end of their journey to surface, and they didn’t know where to go next.  
They looked around again unsure of what was expected of them now, when they and saw a series of smaller and larger objects that, like the bars and lights in the maze, did not look as if they belonged here, as if someone had just added them to the landscape. The objects were halfway around the right side of the abyss, that formed the Well of All Sparks, and behind them, the sun was just disappearing behind the horizon, casting golden light all over the place.  
The objects were an indication that there had to be other beings in this world up here. Beings who created these objects, and thus perhaps the bars and lights in the labyrinth, too. Beings who knew their way around this new alien world and would become their friends. Besides, the collection of strange objects in the distance was the only thing that looked remotely interesting so far, and they simply had no idea where else to go. So the objects became be their next destination.  
Nightfall was imminent and, above all, C36 was quite exhausted from the joint ascent to the surface and the still quite new and exciting experience of flying. So they decided to spend their rest period where they stood. This place was just as good as anywhere else and there was no need to hurry. Tomorrow they would get to the bottom of the mystery of the strange objects, hoping to find the other beings that had to life here on the surface, or at least a clue to their whereabouts.  
Since neither of the two friends knew what dangers lurked up here in the world of the surface, they decided to spend the night watching over each other in turns while the other powered down.

AX96 had the first watch while her friend had curled up beside her and went into power down mode. She scanned the surrounding area with attentive sensors while keeping her alert optics on the plain and the sky. So much space and no evil abysses to be afraid of — except, of course, for the gigantic hole in the ground from which they had come. But they were at a safe distance to that one, so there was no need to be afraid. A light breeze blew fine metal dust mixed with a few grains of sand across the plain. It made a faint noise as it brushed her audio sensors.   
The night was calm and peaceful, the air was cool, but by no means cold. It was lovely, she decided and if it was up to her, every night would be just like this one. In the sky, as in the nights before, the two moons were visible. One big, the other comparatively small, in a sea of stars. On the opposite horizon, AX96 discovered something that had escaped them so far because of the limited view from within the abyss. A purple mist that stretched across the sky in a glowing band. The sight was beautiful, and she could understand why her friend was so fascinated by the sky.  
Then suddenly she saw something move in the distance and focused her sensors on the area between them and the strange objects on the horizon. There were two bright lights that moved across the plain, always maintaining the same distance from each other. She followed the lights on their way until she realized that they were moving towards her and her resting friend. As the lights circled the abyss, she could vaguely see the outlines of the being, to which the lights belonged. It seemed to be big, and it’s strange shape didn’t look like anything she’d ever seen before.   
As she followed the strange creature with her sensors, she suddenly realized that it must’ve already discovered her a while ago and therefor was moving towards her. It wasn’t surprising at all that they had been discovered, she realized. First of all here on the plain, it wasn’t nearly as dark as on the stairs, thanks to the moons and the fog. Additionally, she had no doubt that her luminous optics had betrayed their position. Even C36 may have been discovered by the strange being by now, she guessed. Although his optics were closed and his bio lights dimmed to near darkness, the striking colors of its armor, especially the bright red and the strong blue, stood out clearly from the dull gray of the ground.  
She shook her friend softly at the shoulder armor to wake him without startling him.  
"Look", she said as he looked up at her with tired optics, which communicated quite clearly, that his mind had not yet found its way back to reality.  
C36's optics of lazily followed her gesture. The next moment he was wide awake, focusing all his sensors to the approaching creature. The closer it got, the bigger it seemed to become. It appeared to be moving in a rather strange fashion as it did not seem to have legs or anything like that. Instead it slid over the floor somehow. The body of the being, as far as they could see in the back light it created, had no resemblance to any creature they had ever encountered in their short lives. It seemed to have no physical components any of them both, or even the monsters of the Labyrinth had. Instead, it looked edgy and extremely heavily armored. Nevertheless, it moved forward at a considerable speed. For this, C36 could see now, it used two pairs of tracks, on which it slid across the metal plain.  
The two young newsparks had risen, but neither of them seemed to know what to do now. After all, it was unclear whether it would turn out to be a friend that would help them or a monster that wanted to do them harm.  
As the creature overcame the remainder of the distance, they realized that it was moving too fast for them to have even the slightest chance of running away from it should it turn out to be malignant. The sky would be safe, C36 through. With his newfound ability, he could easily ascend and flee into the air above when threatened, leaving the danger to the ground, unable to reach him. Uneasy and undecided what to do, he shifted nervously from one leg to the other. The bizarre creature gave him the creeps, but maybe its appearance was just deceiving.  
He felt AX96 grab his left hand. In an involuntary gesture, he laced their fingers, pulling his smaller friend close to his side, covering her door wings in a protective gesture. The proximity felt good. Soothing. Proximity meant belonging, community and community meant security and strength.  
At that moment C36 made a decision. Whatever happened, he would not take to the skies. Not without his girlfriend. After all, she would not be able to follow him, as she herself could not fly like him, and he could not carry her either, since there was no wall anywhere near, that would help him keep his balance.  
A bit more than his its own body’s length away from the young newsparks, the strange creature came to a halt. The two friends looked briefly into each other’s optics, then back to the bizarre creature. Together they’d already managed to keep the monsters of the labyrinth at bay and together they would also face this creature, too. The grip they had on each other’s hands became tighter as the creature began to change its shape. With optics large from astonishment and fascination, they watched as the bizarre creature's armor first opened and then began to move along with its remaining components. For the fraction of an instant, there was only a wild heap of seemingly randomly moving, metal, before everything fell into place again. And where the creature had been standing there was now a being, that had a striking resemblance to AX96, except for it being really, really big. It was almost twice the size of AX96 and its body was protected by heavy, gray armor plates, that were adorned with subtle black and silver markings. At its legs parts of the tracks, that had previously been used for movement, could be seen.  
Was he able to do that, too, C36 wondered as he remembered his fall. There had been this strange energy surge and then his physical components had tried to move. He had stopped them, but now he wondered what would have happened if he had allowed them to reposition.  
"Hello", the voice of his friend tore C36 from his thoughts.  
"Hello", he greeted, too, as he scrutinized the being with open suspicion.  
It hadn’t made any move to attack them yet, but the monster that had attacked him in the maze when he wanted to refill his fuel tanks hadn't done that, too, immediately. This being however seemed to have no claws or nasty teeth, at first sight, which had to be a good sign. On the other hand it didn’t look nice either.  
"Are you a monster or a friend?", AX96 asked cautiously as she looked the newcomer up and down.  
"Neither the one nor the other." A hint of amusement flitted across the face of the being before it returned to its stern expression. "I am a mentor."  
The mentor's voice was harsh, its tone demanding respect from all those who heard it, but at least the mentor didn’t seem to intend to harm them. Slowly, the grip of their laced hands loosened until they separated, as they started to relax. The mentor waited patiently until he was sure the two were calm, and he had their full attention.  
"What are your designations?", he asked.  
"My designation is C36."  
"And my AX96."  
The mentor nodded briefly. "My name is Faststrike."  
The two young newsparks looked at him in surprise and astonishment, but before one of them could ask, Faststrike said: "Names are privileges that have to be earned. Each name is unique among all living Cybertronians and thus very valuable. That's why only those people who are worth it will receive one." After another brief pause, in which he was looked upon by the young newsparks with large optics and a mixture of astonishment, confusion and fascination, he added: "I know that everything is still very new and unfamiliar to you. But do not worry. You will soon understand everything, and I, as well as the mentors of the other guilds and the teachers, will help you to quickly learn all that’s important for becoming a good and productive citizen." Upon his last words his expression had become friendlier.  
For a brief moment, the two friends silently, almost reverentially looked up to the mentor’s face, before they approached him, processors busy processing everything they’d just learned. Then they began to fire questions at Faststrike.  
"What’s a privilege?"; "What’s a Cybertronien?"; "What’s a mentor?"; "What’s a guild?"; "Where do the names come from?"; "How’s decided who’s worthy of a name?"; "Can I choose my name?"; "Why are you called Faststrike?"; "How do you transform?"; "Where are the other beings?"; "How many are they?"; "How big is the world up here on the surface?"; "What are those objects on the horizon?"  
The mentor raised his hands to stop the flood of questions and the two young newsparks fell silent. Instead, they looked attentively at Faststrike in anticipation of answers. But none came.  
"We should go now. It will take a while to reach the educational center and I want to be there before dawn. There you will learn all you need to know in the given time."  
"When is the given time?", AX96 asked.  
"Why can’t you tell us the answers now?", C36 added.  
The expression on Faststrike's face became stern again.  
"Silence!" The piercing gaze of the mentor's yellow optics bored right into the two young newsparks, who were now looking up at him rather self-conscious. They hadn’t expected a reaction like that.  
"Asking questions is unseemly for a newspark unless you are asked to do so by a mentor or a teacher. Being unseemly will lead to punishment. Remember that!" Faststrike said harshly.  
No questions? But why not? Why was it unseemly? C36 did not dare to voice those thoughts. He didn’t want to agitate the mentor any further. Faststrike’s stern look and his harsh voice scared him. But how would the teachers know what questions he had, if he was not allowed to ask them. Or what happened, if he wanted to know something, and they forgot to teach him? He had so many questions, wanted to know so much, but he didn’t want to be unseemly. He didn’t want to be punished. It sounded like something to be afraid of. What kind of stupid rule was that even? C36 decided that he didn’t like Faststrike and his stern look, as well as his rules. And if the other beings in the world of the surface were the same, then he would not like them either. But on the other hand he didn’t want to be alone. He wanted community. He wanted to feel belonging. It was all very confusing.  
The wings and tailplanes of C36 were twitching nervously as he moved from one foot to the other over and over again. A quick glance to his side showed him that his AX96 wasn’t happy with the whole situation either. He longed to go back to the dome where Primus had created him. It had been safe there and no one had looked at him sternly. There it hadn’t been unseemly to ask questions and to be curious. On the contrary Primus had encouraged him to be.  
C36 felt defiance well up inside him, which became apparent in his gaze and overall posture. AX96 copied his body language while she crossed her arms.  
Faststrike sighed inwardly, his gaze softening again. "Alright, one question", he said in a voice that tolerated no contradiction. "Then we're leaving, this is a unique privilege and I will only grant it this once."  
Silence greeted Faststrike's audio sensors, only interrupted by the soft rustling of the wind as the two young newsparks pondered on which of their questions their privilege was used best.  
"We can start walking, and we think about the question on the way", C36 suggested finally and AX96 nodded in agreement.  
Faststrike was very pleased with himself. This little deal with the one question always did the trick. Faststrike was experienced enough to hide any emotion apart from those he wanted to show. However, when the small group began to move, and he saw how the two young newsparks grabbed each other's hands again before following him, he could not help but chuckle. An Energon Seeker and a Four-Wheeler. What an unusual couple. It was well-known that fliers and grounders did not tend to get along with each other too well. That they made friends among each other was almost unprecedented. So the two had already caused quite a stir among the mentors and the representatives of the guilds, whose task was to determine which guild and caste the newly created newsparks should be assigned to, as they’d watched them via surveillance systems that had been installed in the caves, near the exit, and in Well of All Sparks.  
From behind, Faststrike could hear the two friends talking softly. The young Seeker had just come to the conclusion that asking questions for him probably was unseemly, because one should find the answers on their own, rather than let others do all the work for them. He wanted to be an explorer after all and he would be a poor explorer if he wasn’t to find answers to questions by himself. But why did that count for AX96, too? After all, she wanted to become an artist, not an explorer and would be very busy creating artworks. She wouldn’t have the time to find all the answers by herself. Wouldn’t it be good for her to ask questions and have an explorer who found the answers? He would be happy to have someone with whom he could share his discoveries, someone who would rejoice with him when he found out something new. He would be happy to find all the answered for her and then she would be proud of him.  
A fleeting smile crossed the mentor's face. The young Seeker and his little friend would be the perfect tools for his plans.

When they finally reached the objects they had seen from afar, to the two friends it seemed like eons had passed, but it couldn’t have been that long as only the first signs of a new dawn could be made out just at the edge of the horizon. Faststrike had told them that the objects they were heading to, were the buildings of the educational center. It had been the answer to the question the two young newsparks had been allowed to ask. Buildings, Faststrike had explained were built by members of the Construction Guild. Among other things, they served as living space, to accommodate various facilities or to store things by providing protection from the elements, as well as the wild animals and semi-sapient beings – the latter were Faststrike’s names for the monsters and creatures.  
The last part of their journey had been particularly hard, as the two friends had been more than exhausted. They just wanted to fall into power down right where they stood, but Faststrike had been relentless. They could rest when they’d reached the educational center, he’d said. There would be a special building with special rooms for resting and powering down, he’d added.  
According to Faststrike, it wouldn’t hurt to skip a power down or expand the waking phases from time to time, for the power down served only to give the Spark and memory banks as well as the physical and mental components time for synchronization. It had been an explanation that the two had followed only with moderate attention, since they had to really focus on not just going into power down while walking.  
"Are we there, yet?", AX96 had asked.  
"I cannot walk anymore", C36 had added.  
Faststrike, however, had ignored the wailing of the two young newsparks as he’d done before, and instead had walked steadily on towards the buildings. When the distance between him and his charges had become too great, he’d stopped and turned.  
"Stop dawdling!"  
"Your legs are much longer than ours", C36 had stated.  
"How much further is it to the educational center?" This time AX96 had gotten a stern look from Faststrike for her question.  
"What did I tell you about asking questions?!"  
"That it’s unseemly", she’d muttered guilty and looked at the floor.  
"And you certainly do not want to be unseemly, now do you."  
No, they hadn’t wanted that. So they’d both shaken their heads slowly and shuffled their feet self-consciously.  
"Well, then show a little discipline and stop this questioning and the whining, we are almost there, until then you will pull yourselves together." Faststrike had turned back to the buildings after these words and had started to walk again. "Come now, and no dawdling anymore."  
"What ..." C36 had paused when he’d realized what he’d been about to do and had been once again confronted with Faststrike's stern face.  
"Sorry," he’d mumbled as he’d felt the mentor’s angry look melting itself right into his spark. He’d averted his gaze quickly and lowered his wings and tailplanes in an involuntary gesture of submission as he moved closer to his friend.  
"It's just that we don’t know what 'discipline' means, and how can we show something that we don’t know what it is and how it works."  
The young Seeker was really clever and alert, Faststrike noted, finding a way around the interdiction of questions so quickly.  
"'Discipline' means doing what you have to do without whining or complaining, questioning or objecting. Discipline is important if you want to become good citizens of Cybertron, without discipline and the guidance of the High Council and the Prime the world would descend into chaos, anarchy would prevail, and soon we would all live like semi-sapiens."  
Again new and unknown terms. But neither of them had dared to ask what they meant. Neither had wanted to anger Faststrike again. He was scary when he was angry.  
The two friends were not sure, whether they wanted all of this, whether they really wanted to become good citizens and whether they really should follow the mentor into this educational center with all its rules and discipline and all that.  
The rest of the way the three of them had spent in silence.

Finally, they’d reached the fence that enclosed the educational center, separating it from the rest of the plain. Behind the bars were five buildings with rounded corners and domed roofs, big enough to house beings that would overshadow even Faststrike. The buildings were all made of the same silver metal, only differing in their dimensions. Their entrances and windows were decorated with shiny white, black, or golden materials, whereas the roofs were made of plain bronze metal. The walls themselves were engraved with short texts describing the function of each building, but to the two young newsparks these glyphs right now were nothing more than a curious way of ornamentation.  
Stepping through the entrance gate somehow felt final for C36 and AX96. It meant that they would leave their old lives as well as the world as they understood and knew it behind. They would enter a new life, a new world of which they didn’t know the rules, yet. They looked at each other hesitantly, before looking back. On the plain awaited nothing but endless emptiness, while somewhere below them there was the labyrinth with its creatures. They would have to live in one of these places until either they were eaten by one of the monsters or became such creatures themselves. Both wanted neither. But this new world before them was no less scary. So what should they do? They looked at each other again. No matter which life they choose, they would choose it together and live it together. They looked again through the gate behind which Faststrike waited patiently. He seemed to know what an important decision this was for the two young newsparks.  
"Onward?", C36 asked his friend.  
"Onward", she confirmed.  
Together they stepped through the gate and into a new life.


End file.
